Judge John M. Robinson sentenced Jeffery Sanchez Smith to 38 years in prison for the killing of Jeremy Davis, the adult son of his long-time girlfriend in their home in the Meadowview area in Bossier City. Last May a Bossier Parish jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty to the charge of manslaughter for the shooting death. Smith, 45, told police that the victim was the aggressor and that he was only protecting his girlfriend from her son. The victim’s adult brother, a former United States Marine who was home during the incident, provided a different account and testified that after a verbal argument related to a case of bottled water, Smith pursued the victim inside the home then shot the victim as he tried to flee. The gun was never recovered and is believed to have been hidden or discarded by Smith after the shooting.

Smith, who had a long history of domestic abuse faced up to 40 years in prison. The case was prosecuted by Dale Montgomery and Richard Ray of the Bossier Parish District Attorney’s Office.